


Awaken

by SugarsweetRomantic



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Affection, Aftercare, Alpha Joe Hills, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, And Also an Orgasm or Twenty, Cleo Needs a Break, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fluffy Ending, Help me I haven't written smut in ages, I wrote this instead of studying Python, Insecurity, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, No beta we die like Hermits, Omega ZombieCleo, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Safe Sane and Consensual, Smut, Sort Of, Vaginal Sex, Zombies Can't Be Alphas, pun not intended, suppressants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:22:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26024161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsweetRomantic/pseuds/SugarsweetRomantic
Summary: Cleo was an Alpha. She exuded it in every way: her demeanour, her walk, her quick wit and her overall dominance.Cleo was an Alpha.Or, well, that's what everyone had always just presumed without ever questioning it.
Relationships: Joe Hills/ZombieCleo
Comments: 37
Kudos: 96





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [NSFW idea dump](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25268872) by [VexTimes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VexTimes/pseuds/VexTimes). 



> This was inspired by the comments on Chapter 11 (Iskall's Omega Store) of VexTimes' NSFW Idea Dump. 
> 
> Getting these two characters to cooperate was a nightmare. I may be the author, but I'm SO not in charge!

Cleo was an Alpha. She exuded it in every way: her demeanour, her walk, her quick wit and her overall dominance. She didn't have a mate, but no-one really minded that any attention. It wasn't unusual for Hermits to be without a mate, or to have multiple mates. If someone was in heat, they usually just disappeared for a few days or found someone else on the server to help them out.

Cleo was an Alpha. 

Or, well, that's what everyone had always just presumed without ever questioning it.

No-one had ever read up on zombies and realised Alpha zombies didn't exist.

_ ZombieCleo: X, any word on when this month's outside shipment will arrive? _

_ Xisuma: Oh, good point! Everyone, I was meaning to tell you: I got word yesterday that the shipment failed this month, so everything anyone ordered this month will arrive with the next one, three months from now. IL deeply apologises. _

_ Stressmonster101: aw no, me biscuits! _

_ MumboJumbo: Well...I guess that means still no bluestone. _

_ Iskall85: … _

_ Iskall85: Please tell me you didn't fall for that scam AGAIN.  _

Cleo pocketed her communicator as panic overtook her very being. Outside shipments from Intergalactic Logistics were how she got her suppressants. Normally she made sure she had plenty in case a delivery mishap occurred, but a recent accident involving her entire inventory burning to a crisp meant she was running low. Without them, she would go into heat for the first time in at least a decade. People would notice. She couldn't let that happen. Everyone saw her as an Alpha. She didn't want to know what they would do once they learned she was a fake. She would just have to fake a rut. That couldn't be too hard, could it?

\--

Cleo had officially run out of suppressants three days ago. The first two days, she hadn't felt a thing. This morning, nothing. But now? Oh dear Void, she was feeling the effects. Even though it had been ages, the signs of an oncoming heat were hard to ignore. Her heart rate, normally beating at just a few beats per minute, was so fast it was almost human-like. Her limbs felt warm and she was having trouble concentrating. She was, to put it mildly,  _ fucked _ . 

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her communicator. 

_ ZombieCleo: I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'll be in bed for the next couple of days.  _

_ Keralis: do you need help? _

_ ZombieCleo: I'll be okay, thank you.  _

_ JoeHillsTSD: I'll stop by later with some stew! _

_ ZombieCleo: NO! _

_ ZombieCleo: It's fine. I'll be fine. I just need sleep. _

\--

This had to be what Hell was like. Sweating, Cleo thrashed in her bed. It was fine; she was fine. She could handle it. 

"Bullshit," she told herself, gritting her teeth. Groaning, she contemplated giving in and getting herself off. It  _ would  _ bring relief, but only for a short while, and it would only be worse afterwards. She would just have to suck it up.

A knock at the door broke Cleo's train of thought. What? No, she had told everyone to stay away! Maybe if she remained silent, they would leave again. She sucked in a breath and remained as still as possible. 

Just then, her body decided it would be a great moment for a wave of arousal to hit her. She whimpered quietly. 

"Cleo?" Oh, fuck. Of all people…

"Hey Joe!" Cleo managed to yell back from inside her boarded-up bedroom.

"Howdy! I've brought you some food, and Stress knitted you a blanket. May I come in?" No, Joe couldn't come in. Cleo refused to let him see her like this.

"Leave them by the door, please? I'm a little...dizzy," she lied.

"I'd prefer it if you would let me in. We're all worried about you. You haven't been answering any messages or calls for hours!" Shit, her communicator. Cleo had completely forgotten about the thing.

"I was asleep."

"Right." Joe didn't sound convinced. Just as Cleo was about to ask him to leave, she heard a block break.

"What the fuck?!" Before she knew it, Joe was standing in her bedroom, soup and blanket in his hands. Cleo knew what she looked like, wearing only a loose tee and some boyshorts, panting on top of crumpled sheets. 

Cleo had never bothered to figure out what Joe was. Her suppressants meant she couldn't smell Alphas. She had assumed he was a beta. 

Judging by the look on his face, Joe was  _ not  _ a beta. Cleo assumed he could smell  _ her _ . His eyes widened and he carefully stepped closer until he was standing in front of her. 

"Cleo," he chastised her quietly, kneeling so he could look her in the eyes, "why didn't you tell me?" Cleo averted her gaze.

"Zombies physically can't be Alphas. I ran out of suppressants. I didn't want to disappoint anyone." Especially not Joe.

"You? Never," Joe grasped her hand. A current of arousal shot through Cleo's body at the unexpected gesture, and she whimpered once more. Joe immediately let go. "I'm so sorry," he stammered, "I didn't mean to make it worse." Cleo's entire being was silently protesting the loss of skin contact. 

"It's fine," she replied, panting again. "I just haven't gone through a heat in years, so it's a bit...much." She wanted to reach for his hand, but she also didn't want to overstep.

"Your scent is…" Joe began. Cleo looked away.

"It's probably awful, I know."

"What?" Joe grabbed both of her hands now, and she had to bite her lip to swallow back a moan. "No, Cleo, you smell  _ amazing _ . Any Alpha would kill to be with you."

"Does that include you?" The question had left Cleo's mouth before she had realised it. "I--"

"Yes. Yes, it does." Cleo's head shot up to look into Joe's eyes. They were darker than she remembered. Could she ask him to…? No, she couldn't. She wouldn't. A rush of heat gathered in her core. 

"Help me?" she squeaked. 

"I'm not sure you're in a state to consent right now, Cleo," Joe replied nervously. It was too late; the image of Joe as her Alpha during this heat had settled in Cleo's mind and was taking on a life of its own.

"Please...," she tried. Joe visibly swallowed. 

"You're not thinking clearly, Cleo." Suddenly, a new idea manifested itself in Cleo's brain.

"What if," she panted, "I bring myself to orgasm. I'll be able to think clearly for a few minutes, right?" Joe took a moment to consider her proposal before replying: "I suppose that might be an adequate solution." Joe didn't have to tell Cleo twice.

"Will you stay while I…?" she asked, hands already grasping the waistband of her underwear. Joe swallowed, his upper body tense and rigid. He nodded. 

Cleo shoved her underwear down her legs, exposing her centre to the cool air. Joe went wide-eyed, when suddenly something changed in him. Cleo could swear his voice was a few tones lower than usual when out of the blue he got onto the bed behind her and told her: "Get between my legs." Cleo let herself fall backwards against his chest. Any other time, she would have sassed him for trying to command her, but right now it felt surprisingly calming. 

"...may I?" she asked quietly. Joe chuckled.

"You may."

Cleo felt like she might spontaneously combust as she unceremoniously shoved her hand between her legs. It wasn't like she had never masturbated before, or even that she had never done it in front of a partner, but this was different. She had never touched herself or had sex while in heat, even before she started taking suppressants. She preferred to just sit it out. Now, though, every nerve ending was on fire. She could feel her slick centre, hear Joe's breathing, smell his scent. It wasn't going to take much, after attempting to ignore her arousal for three days.

Cleo's fingertips ghosted over her clit, and she couldn't hold back a choked moan. It wasn't what she  _ needed  _ necessarily, but it sure as Hell worked for now. She settled into a familiar rhythm, rubbing swollen flesh with a speed just the slightest bit from being painful. Gently taking her time wasn't going to cut it. Her hips thrust upwards when she hit a particularly sensitive spot, and Joe's hands came to rest on her abdomen. If only he would move them lower.

"Please," she whined, instincts starting to take over. "I need you."

"We have an agreement," Joe replied. Cleo felt like she was going to cry. 

"Please," she repeated, writhing against her own fingers. She was so close to orgasm, to sweet relief, but something was stopping her.

"You need to climax, Cleo." Cleo whimpered, her entire body tensing up.

"I can't!" she cried out. "I  _ need  _ you!"

"Of course you can." Joe kissed the exposed skin of her neck. "I know you can." His teeth grazed her ear. "Go ahead."

That was all it took. Cleo's back arched and she cried out, her entire body shaking. 

"I knew you could do it," Joe praised her as she slumped back against his chest, arm falling limply to her side. "Now then. Would you still like my assistance?"


	2. ii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who decided to write a second part?  
> A _huge_ thank you goes to [letmetellyouaboutmyfeels](http://archiveofourown.org/users/letmetellyouaboutmyfeels) who, despite not knowing who Joe and Cleo are, let me bug her about the smut!

_ "You need to climax, Cleo." Cleo whimpered, her entire body tensing up. _

_ "I can't!" she cried out. "I need you!" _

_ "Of course you can." Joe kissed the exposed skin of her neck. "I know you can." His teeth grazed her ear. "Go ahead." _

_ That was all it took. Cleo's back arched and she cried out, her entire body shaking.  _

_ "I knew you could do it," Joe praised her as she slumped back against his chest, arm falling limply to her side. "Now then. Would you still like my assistance?" _

"Yes." It was an instinctual reaction, escaping Cleo's mouth without much thought as the tension in her body finally lessened a little bit, even if just for a short while. She turned over onto her stomach, looking up at Joe.

"Are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to regret this later." Joe reached over and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, Joe, I'm sure. I  _ want  _ you to mate me." Joe shuddered visibly.

"Two ground rules," he replied. "One, I'm not marking you during this heat. Two, we use protection. Is that alright?" Cleo nodded, but Joe shook his head. "Tell me."

"Yeah, okay, yes." Cleo could feel her frustration levels rising as her body started to warm up again. "It's returning," she warned.

"Do you have protection here?" Joe asked.

"Yeah." Cleo forced herself to get up from her position on her bed and walked over to a barrel on the opposite side of the room. Retrieving a small box, she checked the contents. She still had at least a dozen condoms that were good until next year. Turning around to face Joe, she wanted to throw the pack in his direction, but the sight in the middle of her room stopped her mid-toss. Joe had produced a shulker from his inventory and had created a much larger bed than the one-person bed in the corner of the room. "Wow." Joe chuckled. 

“Sorry, Cleo, but your bed is a bit  _ small _ for two people.”

“It worked fine just now, didn’t it?” Cleo joked nervously. 

“Cleo?” Joe asked, slowly approaching her. “Have you ever been mated before?”

“Everyone has, haven’t they?” she replied. She turned her head away from his gaze, staring at the corner of the DIY bed.

“Cleo?” Joe repeated.

“...no. Well, I…” she stuttered. “I’ve had... _ sex _ , you know? Just never...in this state?” Cleo hated how her voice went up at least two octaves as she reached the end of her sentence. 

“Thank you.” That...was not the response she had been expecting.

“For what?” Cleo blurted out, head snapping back up to look Joe in the face.

“For trusting me.” 

Joe reached out and gently took Cleo’s hand, taking the box of condoms from her and guiding her over to sit on the bed. He grasped the edge of her shirt, ducking his head to look into her eyes for permission. When she nodded, he lifted the fabric over her head, freeing her skin. 

“Do we need to protect your bite?” he asked, kissing her cheek. His fingers ghosted along the ragged skin on her abdomen. He knew she would cover it with strips of wool when she went swimming, or when she would spend a lot of time in a desert.

“Nah, I’m good,” Cleo reassured him. “Just don’t put too much pressure on it.”

“Got it.” 

Joe's gaze slid across Cleo's skin, and it felt like his sight alone was setting her nerve endings on fire. Her breath hitched as he reached for her bare skin, fingertips lazily tracing the swell of her breast. Her back arched on its own accord, and he smiled.

"You're breathtaking." 

"Liar," she retorted on a gasp and a laugh.

It was as if something snapped in Joe. He pushed against Cleo's shoulders until her back collided with the mattress. Joe crawled up her body, supporting his own weight as he gazed down at her. 

"No-one calls  _ my  _ omega anything other than beautiful." 

Joe's lips crashed against Cleo's, capturing hers in a dizzying kiss. Teeth hit teeth, and if Cleo had needed to breathe, she was sure he would have stolen her breath. 

"Because," Joe added on a near-growl as he broke the kiss for just a moment. " _ My  _ omega is nothing but beautiful." Looking up into his eyes, seeing widened pupils not just gazing down at her but actually  _ seeing  _ her, Cleo could only stammer: "Y-yours?"

Joe froze.

"If that's okay?" he responded, bringing one hand up to comb through his own hair.

"Yes," Cleo whispered. "Make me yours. Claim me."

"Are you--"

"Please...mate me. Alpha." 

Joe growled genuinely now, his instincts taking over as he rid himself of his shirt. Cleo could feel his warm, hard erection against her exposed centre through the rough fabric of his jeans. Maybe, if she angled her hips just right, she would be able to get some sweet, sweet friction against her whining heat. 

"Ah-ah," Joe warned her, sitting up so he could hold her down with his hands. When had Joe gotten so buff, Cleo wondered. She was unable to move her hips, no matter how she squirmed. "I decide what happens now. And I think I want to fuck you until you tremble." At Joe's crude statement, so unlike his usual demeanour, a shiver wrecked its way up Cleo's spine. Joe grinned. 

Scooting backwards slightly, Joe grasped Cleo's thighs, lifting her hips to his face.

"Oh my word," she managed to exclaim before he latched on to her centre, suckling at her throbbing clit. "You, I...fuck!" she squealed. Joe chuckled against her. Oh Void, she wasn't going to last long. He had only just started, and yet her back was already arching, her lower abdomen tightening. Before Cleo could even warn him, Joe's tongue entered her, and she came on a high-pitched moan.

Smiling, Joe lifted his head, and he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. 

"You're still dressed," Cleo realised, not bothering to close her legs or cover her body. Though she felt somewhat satisfied, she could also feel the buzzing sensation returning again. Already?

"How long has it been since your last heat?" Joe asked, reading her thoughts flawlessly, as always. He grabbed the collar of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head.

"At least a decade?" Cleo replied, reaching out to touch any newly exposed skin she could get her hands on.

"Hm." Joe batted her hands away from his belt buckle absent-mindedly, suddenly lost in thought.

"Sorry." Cleo ducked her head. 

"Ah-ah," Joe chastised again. "I'm going to make you come at least three more times before those come off." Cleo blushed.

"I can't...not multiple...I…" she stammered, grunting in frustration. It wasn't that she didn't want to; her body just didn't do that many. Joe trailed his fingers along the inside of her legs, watching as she squirmed. 

"I think you  _ can _ , and I'll prove it to you right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you like to see a third installment? Pĺease let me know! I'd also really love to hear what you thought of this chapter! x Belle


	3. iii

Cleo was going to die.

Honestly, that was quite the accomplishment, seeing as she was already, technically, sort of dead.

But she was definitely going to die.

She had lost count of the times she’d come by orgasm four or five, and yet Joe still had his face between her legs and he still had those  _ damn clothes on _ . 

“I  _ need  _ you inside of me,” she whined, pawing at Joe’s hair. “Joe, please, please!” He chuckled against her, and the vibrations sent her over the edge again, stars exploding against the inside of her eyelids. Joe still wasn’t stopping, but her body was on fire. “Wait, wait, stop,” Cleo pleaded on a series of gasps. The stimulations retreated immediately, and a comforting hand came to rest on her lower abdomen.

“Are you alright?” Joe’s voice, though gravelly ever since his instincts had taken over, was gentle and quiet. He placed light kisses against the slick skin of her thighs. 

“Yeah,” Cleo confirmed, keeping her eyes closed as her body continued to twitch and spasm. “I just need a moment.” 

“Okay,” Joe replied. He removed his hand, and Cleo had to suppress a whimper. Her head felt clear for a minute again, but she knew it wouldn’t last. Her heat would keep returning until Joe, or any other Alpha, finally decided to mate her. If he wasn’t going to hurry up soon, she might as well walk out into the shopping district and offer herself up to the first willing participant.

Suddenly, Joe growled and roared. Cleo’s eyes flew open just in time to see him dash over to her again, his clothing  _ finally  _ on the floor.

“Don’t you dare offer yourself to anyone but me,” he commanded. 

“Did I say that out loud?” Cleo wondered. Joe blinked at her before chuckling: “Yes, you did.” Cleo glanced at his naked body, now on display for her. Now  _ that  _ was an unexpected surprise. Where had he been hiding that beneath his jeans all these years?

“So prove it to all the other Alphas,” she dared Joe. “Take me.” She could see a shiver run down his spine.

“Are you--”

“Stop bloody asking and fuck me, Alpha.” 

Before, Cleo knew it, Joe had turned her onto her side and lined himself up.

“Mine,” he whispered as his length pushed against Cleo’s entrance.

“Yours,” she replied on a sob. Joe brushed her sweaty hair to the side, pressing his lips to her throat, and entered her. Cleo let out another sob. She felt delirious; she felt full; she felt safe. She felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Joe began moving, and Cleo couldn’t do anything but lie there and let herself be mated.

“Oh my Void,” she breathed, reaching blindly behind her. Joe grasped hold of her hand, bringing it to rest upon her own hip.

“You’re so beautiful,” he reminded her. “So, so gorgeous. I’m lucky to call you mine.”

All of Joe’s actions over the last couple of...hours?...meant Cleo was on the edge again before she knew it. 

“I’m gonna--” she warned him. “I can’t, I…” Joe kissed her shoulder, replying: “I know, I’m right there with you. Go ahead, I’ve got you.” His teeth grazed her pulse point, reminding her of the possibility of him marking her in the future. That was enough. Cleo let out a guttural scream, Joe’s arm coming around her waist to steady her as she convulsed against him. 

Then, she passed out.

The first thing Cleo smelled when she regained consciousness, was the sweetness of maple syrup. 

"What the…" she murmured. Opening her eyes, she realised she was in a new, clean bed with different-coloured sheets than before, and her stuffed guardian was next to her. Her skin and hair had been washed, and she was wearing a soft robe. 

"Hey, you're up," Joe called from the doorway to her kitchen. The door was open, and Cleo could see a stack of pancakes on the countertop. He walked over to her and crouched in front of the bed, reaching out to cup her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Spent," Cleo admitted, her voice feeling scratchy and hoarse. "Sore." Joe looked like he was about to apologise, so she quickly added: "And safe. I feel safe." It wasn't a lie. She did. She had denied her own instincts for years, but she had to admit it felt really good to have an Alpha --  _ her  _ Alpha -- in her home.

"Good," he replied. "Would you like some breakfast?" He glanced at the clock behind her. "Or brunch?"

"I'm not that hungry," Cleo answered, leaning forward to hide her face against his shirt. 

"Please, Cleo?" Joe's voice rumbled in his chest. "Just a bit, for me?" For him? Yeah, she could eat a pancake for him. 

"Okay," she whispered, nodding against him.

With a plate with three pancakes on it in front of her and Joe to her side, Cleo suddenly became aware of a pulling sensation at her side. Reaching beneath the robe, her fingers encountered a bandage on her bite.

"What the…" she mumbled out loud. Joe swallowed his bite of pancake before explaining: "It tore at the corners. I cleaned it and wrapped it up."

"Thank you."

"Hey Joe?" The plates had been discarded in the cauldron in Cleo's kitchen, and she was reading a book while he worked on his poetry.

"Hm?" he responded. "What is it?"

"Is this a one-time thing?" Cleo rolled onto her side, looking up at him.

"Not unless that's what you want it to be." 

"I don't." 

"Then it's not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These assholes decided to go soft on me.
> 
> Also, it's never stated, but I want to be clear: Joe did use a condom. Safe, sane and consensual, darlings! 
> 
> If they can have condoms in Minecraft in this universe, Joe can have maple syrup in his inventory.
> 
> This story is now finished. Thank you so much for reading! Next on my to-do list: continuing _The Entropy of Stardust_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Tell me what you thought?


End file.
